Design and the Elastic Mind

Photovoltaic cells grown like ivy, electricity cultivated from your corpse, computer-aided oragami, a pheronome dating agency apparatus,... these are some of the beautiful and bizarre designer objects on display at MOMA.

In the words of the senior curator, Paola Antonelli: "Designers they know that their role is to enable revolution. They are constructive by definition."

clipped from www.coolhunting.com To document MoMA's wonderful, monumental exhibit spanning design, science and technology, "Design and the Elastic Mind," we enlisted the help of the show's esteemed curator, Paola Antonelli. Paola speaks in detail about several of the exhibits, including "The Afterlife," a system for turning corpses into batteries, robots that act as personal climatizers and DNA origami. She also weighs in on her curatorial approach, addressing the role of the designer, her mission to shift public perception of design and how design revolutionizes our lives. As always, but especially in this case, we hope CH inspires you to experience this show firsthand. It's up through May 2008, see details below. If you absolutely can't make it in person, the website, designed by the renowned Yugo Nakamura, is full of information organized into an extremely pleasing UI and the book (available online from the MoMA store) is a must-have resource for designers, educators and the curious.

Once Again, Moustache Madness sweeps Germany

What makes this video from Reuters even more unnerving is the absolute stoic seriousness of the participants in this contest.

(I also enjoy the information graphic consulted by the judges. Sort of like a menu of mustaches!)

clipped from www.reuters.com German beard and moustache championship draws more than 100 men from various countries to compete for most extravagant look. Organized by the Eastern Bavarian Beard and Moustache Club, the event drew competitors from many countries including Britain, Germany and Switzerland.

Poppin' and Lockin' and Rappin'

An old MTV clip from '85 starring a very young Alfonso Ribeiro, sent to me by High School buddy, and master breakdancer, Jarrell McAlister.

I want to get a hold of this simply for the complex information graphics demonstrating how to execute moves like the Moonwalk and The Reverse Centipede.

clipped from www.youtube.com

What’s Next, Scooby Doo Reads the News?

It's with a mixture of pride and confusement that I post this article on the recent use of graphic facilitation on a prime time news broadcast.

At least it was bubbly Katie Couric, who giggled, and not, shouty Bill O'Reilly. I do think that the Daily Show should incorporate the methodology for full effect.

clipped from tvdecoder.blogs.nytimes.com Monday’s New York Times noted that CBS News recently introduced the “Fast Draw,” an animated series using dry-erase markers that tries to shed light on news developments. The feature, created by two new CBS employees, debuted on “CBS News Sunday Morning” last month and appeared on the “CBS Evening News with Katie Couric” on Feb. 8: But “Fast Draw” is not the only instance of animation on television news, as several readers noted. Three days before the CBS segment, the ABC correspondent Robert Krulwich used cartoon drawings to explain the delegate rules for each party. Andrew Tyndall, a television news analyst, said he preferred the illustrations used by ABC to the metaphors used by CBS. The Fox Business Network has also dabbled with animation. Each Friday on the new business network’s “Happy Hour” show, a pair of computer-generated characters named Hoofy and Boo present a short cartoon newscast. The segments are created by a financial entertainment Web site called Minyanville.

Thanks to Jarrell McAlister.

Good Education

Part of the transparency section of Good Magazine, this short video commissioned by ED in '08 highlights details behind America's ranking in public education.

clipped from www.goodmagazine.com In 2002, UNICEF compared public education in 24 nations around the world. The U.S. ranked 18th. So what's the problem? Are we spending enough per student? Are students spending enough time in school? America needs to do some extra credit if its public education system is going to stay competitive. To boost America’s economy we must focus on strengthening K-12 education. Why? Economists estimate that if America raises student skills closer to that of European nations, the U.S. economy would grow by an additional 5% over 30 years resulting in an extra $1.5 trillion in 2037 alone—more than triple current U.S. spending on K-12 public education.

Crowley's High Speed Art

Watch graphic facilitator Steph Crowley create a 35-foot mural over 5 days in high speed--inspirational music included!

The Monastic Help Desk

After a year of working on MissingLink with GradientLabs, and trying to introduce it to the larger graphics and facilitation world, I identify with this Old School Brother of the Monastic Help Desk.

[Thanks to Mark Frisse]

Make Mag's EduVideos

Make Magazine brings you weekend projects of stuff you can make at home.

I found this too late for the holidays, but this video demonstrates three techniques for creating small holiday cards: aluminum foil, woodblock prints and writing with light!

[via Blip.tv]